The men were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court by Judge Robert Jukes on Tuesday, who estimated the value of the fraud to be around £25,000.

Hussain was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud by a jury at the court in July, while Bachada pleaded guilty to the same charge at an earlier hearing.

They were charged after a complex inquiry by the NHS Counter Fraud Service into allegations that patients at Droitwich Spa Dental Practice in Worcestershire were tricked into paying inflated charges.

The court heard that patients at the Blackfriars Lane practice were led to believe they were being treated on the NHS but were charged private dental rates.

Hussain and Bachada bought the Droitwich practice in 2002 but it is now under new ownership. The pair own a string of dental practices in the West Midlands, Scotland, Merseyside and Warwickshire.

A spokesman for the NHS Counter Fraud Service said 2,500 patients came forward to assist the investigation after whistleblowers raised concerns about Hussain and Bachada.

Steve McKenzie, dental fraud team manager at the NHS CFS, said: "We are pleased with this outcome after a very long and extensive investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service.

"All suspicions of fraud against the NHS that are reported to us will be followed up. Wherever appropriate we will investigate and press for prosecution and the strongest sanctions against offenders. We commend all the whistleblowers who came forward."